(Futurefic, One-Shot) Eliot Spencer never saw his life turning out this way. He never for a second expected to reach a point where he even deserved to be this happy, but she made the difference. Parker had always made the difference. Eliot/Parker.

A/N: Written for southrnbygrace, based on her prompt: Eliot & Parker hear Kaye Lynn (from the Studio Job) singing on the radio (she's become a big star) and they discuss Eliot's musical talent.

(Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to John Rogers, Chris Downey, Dean Devlin, TNT, and other folks that aren't me.)

A Song for Whoever

Eliot Spencer never saw his life turning out this way. He never for a second expected to reach a point where he even deserved to be this happy, but she made the difference. Parker had always made the difference.

Maybe they were too old for this set up, but where the darkness of his past made Eliot feel like he had lived a hundred painful years, being with Parker made him feel like a giddy teen in love. It was one of a million things he adored about her. So here they were, laid out in the back of his truck, somewhere off the interstate where you couldn't hear the traffic and the sun shone like it meant it. Parker was curled into Eliot's side with her head on his chest, humming now and then to the music coming from the radio. He never did think she would appreciate country music, but it was one thing out of many he had learnt about her over the years.

This was maybe the most comfortable Eliot had ever been. Shame it was about to change in the next ten seconds. He knew it the moment a new song started. The voice was familiar, a very distinctive tone. Parker didn't seem to notice at first, but as the lyrics wore on, both sides of the couple had to take notice of the song about a tough-guy type with long hair and bright blue eyes that had been loved and lost by the singer. Parker sat up sharply, staring at the radio, long before the announcer ever confirmed what she already knew.

"And that was our own Kaye-Lynn Gold with her new single, 'Blue Eyes, Pure Soul'."

Eliot ran a hand over his face and tried to breathe. His exes weren't too much of a big deal for Parker. They got over her dating Hardison before him with a fair amount of grace, all three of them had, in actual fact. Parker was well aware of Eliot's abilities with the ladies, the long line of women he had taken to his bed over the years. She never cared, because she never really believed Eliot genuinely cared for any of them in a deep and meaningful way. That was true for the most part, with one definite exception in Aimee, and one other that was more difficult to push aside - Kaye-Lynn.

"Parker," Eliot called to her, but she sat resolutely on the tail gate with her arms folded over her chest. "Sweetheart, c'mon," he urged her, pulling himself up onto his elbows. "I didn't ask her to write a song about me."

"I know," she grumbled. "But she did. She loves you."

Eliot opened his mouth to deny that but then closed it again fast. He couldn't say Kaye-Lynn hadn't loved him or didn't now. He doubted it, but he had no proof, not without calling her and asking - that didn't seem like the best idea right now. Maybe she did still care, Eliot wasn't so sure, but he did know he couldn't love anyone as much as he loved Parker. She ought to know that, but the insecure little girl she once was, who genuinely believed nobody could ever love someone so broken, well, she still lived inside of his beautiful, strong, little thief sometimes.

"Parker, I can't tell you what Kaye-Lynn feels, but you know how I feel," he reminded her, shifting to sit beside her on the edge of the truck bed. "Babe, she was just... she was somebody I cared about, but she's not you. I love you," he said definitely, his hand at her shoulder and wandering into her hair, trying to get her to look at him.

Eventually, she reluctantly turned and met his eyes, arms still folded, expression still not entirely happy.

"Did you ever want to write a song for her?" she asked, making Eliot smile in spite of himself.

"No, Parker. Thought never entered my head," he promised her faithfully, putting his hand to her cheek before she could turn away again. "And before you ask, no, I never tried to write a song about you either," he said, kissing her lips before she could protest. "But only because I would have no idea how to sum up the wonder of you in music and lyrics," he explained, planting more kisses in a trail from her lips to her neck.

Her defence weakened easily. Parker couldn't help it, Eliot always knew how to win her over, and it was really hard not to let him have his way. Sure, he was good with pretty words and gentle touches. Some might say she gave in too easily to his charms, but she knew he genuinely meant those things he told her, that he loved her like nobody else. After all this time, she just trusted him, even more than she had in the beginning, though it ought to seem impossible.

"Eliot?" she gasped between kisses as they laid back down on the truck bed, needing to get out her question before they hit full-on make out mode and she forgot what it was. "Eliot?"

"What?" he asked, feeling as starry-eyed as she looked when he backed off a little to listen.

"You think if things had been different, you would've been a country star on the radio too?" she asked seriously.

Eliot hovered over her and smiled as he pushed her hair back off her face.

"I don't know, Parker," he admitted. "What do you think?"

"You're definitely good enough," she said with a firm nod. "Of course, that's not all you're good at," she told him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk she learnt from him somewhere along the line.

Eliot moved in to kiss her again, hands running over her body as he pinned her to the truck bed with his body. Parker didn't mind at all, in fact if she pulled him any closer they were likely to become one entity before long, literally. All of a sudden, completely out of the blue, she pushed him off again. Eliot looked at her like she was crazy, which wasn't altogether a new situation for either of them.

"You knew that I meant you were good at sex, right?" Parker checked seriously.

"Yes, Parker, I knew," he promised, trying not to laugh.

She was just too much sweet and crazy combined sometimes, it almost killed him.

Eliot Spencer never saw his life turning out this way. He never for a second expected to reach a point where he even deserved to be this happy, but she made the difference. Parker had always made the difference.

The End

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